Robert Wyland was wading in the water at Laguna Beach, his first-ever swim in the Pacific Ocean, when he saw two massive mammals emerge from the blue sea.

He was just 14 at the time, a young traveler from Detroit visiting an aunt in Southern California in the early ’70s.

The close encounter with the pair of gray whales that day would inspire the young artist, whose building-size creations would become iconic images in coastal communities around the world.

His most notable local artworks include a transformation of the power plant in Redondo Beach, a world-record-size canvas at the convention center in Long Beach, and the first mural he ever made — in Laguna Beach, a short walk away from where he saw the whales.

Wyland is celebrating 40 years since he opened his first studio in Laguna Beach in 1978, and 25 years since he started the Wyland Foundation, a nonprofit that educates and encourages youth to take care of the marine environment.

“If we’re going to protect the health of our planet, we need to protect our water,” Wyland, now 62, said.

Wyland Walls

It started with a first-grade school teacher who drew with Wyland after class.

You could be a great artist one day, the teacher told him.

Those words stuck with Wyland, and after his brief encounter with the gray whales off Laguna he uprooted his life in Michigan and headed west to draw inspiration from the ocean.

He opened his first studio gallery in 1978 in Laguna Beach.

“I decided the whale would be the focal point of my art,” Wyland said.

Artist Wyland works on one of his whale murals. (Photo courtesy of Wyland Foundation)

Robert Wyland isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. The artist, who opened his first studio in 1978, in celebrating his 40th anniversary. He’s done more than 100 “Wyland Walls” around the world and this year also marks 25 years for the Wyland Foundation, a non-profit that helps encourage ocean education and conservation. (Photo courtesy of Wyland Foundation)

Sound

The gallery will resume inseconds

The Wyland mural called “Gray Whale Migration” in Redondo Beach transformed the power plant in 1991, a colorful mural that spans 586-foot long, and 95-foot high. (Photo courtesy of Wyland Foundation)

A mom and baby calf on the wall of Hotel Laguna, the first of 100 Wyland Walls around the world. It was his first-ever mural, created in 1981. (Photo courtesy of Wyland Foundation)

The mural called “Gray Whale Migration” in Redondo Beach transformed the power plant in 1991, a colorful mural that spans 586-foot long, and 95-foot high. (Photo courtesy of Wyland Foundation)

Wyland’s Whaling Wall on the Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, Calif. The mural took six weeks and 4,000 gallons of paint to create the mural on the 3-acre canvas, a 1,280-foot long painting that reaches 105-feet tall.(File photo, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Wyland recently teamed up with The Organic Cellar for a wine with his artwork, with special tastings aboard Dana Wharf’s OC Wine Tours. The next one is Sunday, Nov. 11, in the Dana Point Harbor. (Photo courtesy of Dana Wharf)

Wyland’s mural on the Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, Calif. The mural took six weeks and 4,000 gallons of paint to create the mural on the 3-acre canvas, a 1,280-foot long painting that reaches 105-feet tall. (Photo courtesy of Wyland Foundation)

Wyland creating “Life Size Blue WhalesÓ on Melrose on the side of the Paramount Pictures building in Hollywood in 1994. (Photo courtesy of Wyland Foundation)

It was a daunting task, taking six weeks and 4,000 gallons of paint to create the mural on the 3-acre canvas, a painting that measures 1,280 feet by 105 feet.

It became certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “world’s largest mural.”

In 2008, he met his 100-murals goal. They are scattered around the world, spanning five continents, 17 countries and 79 cities.

Wyland Foundation

Is that really what (whales) look like? Are they really that big?

Wyland said the paintings often led to discussion about marine conservation. So 25 years ago, he started the Wyland Foundation to combine art and education.

“We’re small … but we are mighty,” he said. “We think really big.”

The Wyland Foundation has a “Wyland National Art Challenge,” which launched Oct. 1 and runs through Dec. 1.

Students from around the nation can join the art contest, with more than $5,000 in scholarships awarded for classroom murals or individual artwork.

The foundation for the past decade has dispatched the “Wyland Clean Water Mobile Learning Center,” a bio-diesel truck that travels coast-to-coast with a 1,000-square-foot learning exhibition that boasts a 40-person theater and six interactive stations.

“If you want to protect it for the future, you have to get the kids involved.”

Next chapter

With the 100 “Wyland Walls” mural project complete, the artist is adding to his brand other ways to reach an audience interested in coastal conservation.

Dana Wharf, which runs whale watching and fishing charters out of Dana Point Harbor, helps bring Wyland’s art into the community.

The charter company hosts Wyland Art in the Wild clinics each January through April, a boat ride with a video tutorial by Wyland for young artists, and also a new boat with Wyland’s art – a mom and gray whale calf – splashed on the side.

Dana Wharf has also teamed up with The Organic Cellar for their OC Wine Cruise to carry wine featuring Wyland artwork of the endangered “Caretta” Loggerhead Turtle, native to Sicily, the same region where the wine grapes are harvested.

Looking to the future, Wyland said his top priority is to ensure art remains in schools.

“When you plant art and conservation in the hearts of our youth, it stays with them,” he said. “We’re trying to inspire a generation for the future.”

Events

The 25-year Wyland Foundation annual gala and celebration is being held from 6 – 10 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10 at the Hyatt Regency, Newport Beach. All proceeds benefit the Wyland Foundation.

Laylan Connelly started as a journalist in 2002 after earning a degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. Through the years, she has covered several cities for The Orange County Register, starting as a beat reporter in Irvine before focusing on coastal cities such as Newport Beach, Dana Point and Laguna Beach. In 2007, she was selected for a prestigious Knight New Media fellowship focusing on digital media at UC Berkeley, where she learned skills to adapt to the ever-changing online landscape. Using a web-based approach, she turned her love for the ocean into a full-time gig as the paper’s beaches reporter. The unique beat allows her to delve into coastal culture by covering everything from the countless events dotting the 42 miles of coastline, to the business climate of the surf industry, to the fascinating wildlife that shows up on the shores. Most importantly, she takes pride in telling stories of the people who make the beaches so special, whether they are surfers using the ocean to heal, or the founders of major surf brands who helped spawn an entire culture, or people who tirelessly fight to keep the coast pristine and open for all to enjoy. She’s a world traveler who loves to explore the slopes during winter months or exotic surf spots around the globe. When she’s not working, or maybe while she's researching a story, you can find her longboarding at her favorite surf spots at San Onofre or Doheny.